Children of Seth
Named after the bloody-handed lord of the Flesh Tearers from whom they are descended, the Children of Seth are a Chapter infamous for the murderously violent and destructive manner by which their wars are waged. Hailing from the harsh desert world of Atum, the Children of Seth have carved themselves deep into the annals of Imperial history, each page dripping with the blood of their foes. Chapter History Cast in the image of the savagely violent Flesh Tearers, the Children of Seth are a brutal chapter forged in the blistering dunes of Atum, a feral world steeped in a culture of death and rebirth. Though the Children are unshakably loyal to the Imperium their homeworld has had a rather dark history of treachery (which is rumoured to be the reason the chapter was set up on the world so rapidly). Before the establishment of the Children of Seth, Atum fell into the dark embrace of the Ruinous Powers. Despite their primitive bronze weapons the residents of the desert world tore apart the local pdf, sacrificing them in vile rituals to bring forth their gods, hoping to spread their cancerous influence through the stars. To say that the Imperium's response was swift and brutal would be an understatement; descending like the fist of murderous god the Flesh Tearers, led by their chapter master Gabriel Seth smashed into traitorous Atumians, butchering all who stood before them with a bloodthirsty zeal. Even as the sons of Nassir Amit ripped through the treasonous natives those few who had not joined their corrupted brethren and thus been forced to vanish into the scorching deserts returned with a vengeance, full of murderous fury at the treachery of their fellows they joined the Flesh Tearers and annihilated the traitors with a murderous rage that impressed even their Astartes allies. During this suppression of Atum's rebellion word began trickling in of the loyalist native's reverence for the Flesh Tearers and their unfathomable hatred for those who had fallen to the whispers of chaos, it was an obvious choice where a new chapter should be founded and, as reward for its surviving population's unflagging loyalty to the God-Emperor (who the natives and later the Children of Seth refer to as The Imperishable) Atum was made into an Astartes homeworld. In an attempt to harness the bloodthirsty fury of the Flesh Tearers the Imperium used some of the purer gene-seed tithed to them by the warrior's of Cretacia. It seemed originally that they had succeeded, the Children of Seth seemed at first to be much like the Blood Angels of old; the twin curses seemed to be under their control, absent were the bestial cannibalistic rituals of the Flesh Eaters or the Blood Drinkers' barbaric indulgence of the Red Thirst. Time would prove this image to be false, for the Children of Seth were very much born in the image of their homeworld and progenitor both. Like the scorching sands of Atum they could be still and silent, but just like those dunes they could be whipped into the terrible fury in an instant, for the blood-mad rage of Nassir Amit flowed through them. Chapter Homeworld Chapter Recruitment Notable Campaigns *'The Foul Rains of Atum (Unknown Date)' *'Aliris Blood Crusade (031.M33)' - When a massive Blood Crusade, comprised of an exceptionally large and brutal warhost comprised of several World Eaters Warbands and Blood Cultist followers, invades the Hadronian Wall sub-sector of the Aliris Sector, located adjacent to the Cadian Sector, the entire Children of Seth Chapter takes up arms against these renegade forces. They are a part of a joint-Imperial Crusade comprised of several bellicose Scions of Sanguinius Chapters, including: the Blood Bearers, Crimson Sentinels, Golden Seraphs and Sanguine Berzerkers. Those worlds that had fallen beneath the bloody shadow of the Blood God's followers were reserved the greatest measure of the Chapters of The Blood, who granted them no quarter and no mercy. The full role taken by this independent Astartes battlegroup is impossible to collate, nevertheless, the fragmented accounts of the various battles that took place in the Hadronian Wall sub-sector are extant in the scattered records of the era. Some list no more than a Chapter's name and where they were sighted during this conflict, while other records offer a glimpse into the many savage wars fought between both sides, as several independent Imperial strike forces often fought the savage Khorne-worshipping warbands to near-mutual annihilation. Though this sub-sector was eventually cleared of the foul presence of Chaos, the destruction wrought by those dedicated to the Blood God's service and the Scions of Sanguinius, affected the infrastructure of several of these worlds, some of which are still struggling to rebuild to this day. *'Battle of Khemri (Unknown Date)' *'Devastation of Baal (999.M41)' Gene-Seed Like all descendants of the Blood Angels the genetic flaws known as the Black Rage and Red Thirst are present in the gene-seed of the Children of Seth and, much like their parent chapter; the Flesh Tearers the flaws are more exaggerated than other sons of Sanguinius. Unlike their Cretatian cousins however the Black Rage manifests as a calm, tranquil serenity 'the calm before the storm' as the Children of Seth call it, for when unleashed onto the battlefield those suffering from that dark madness are as brutal and vicious as the sandstorms that wrack the vast dunes of their homeworld. Much like those brutal storms however the Black Rage can settle and the brother be returned to sanity, but he is not free for inevitably, just as the storm settles it will return, each time more violent and potentially fatal than the last. Chapter Organisation Chapter Command Like the vast majority of space marines the Children of Seth's chapter command is organised in general compliance with the tenants of the Codex Astartes, however thanks to daemonic incursion by Rotigus Rainfather and his Nurglite horde as well as general casualties caused by the Black rage and Red Thirst, the current Chapter Master; Rahma Anubian was drawn from the ranks of the Sanguinary Priests. As the culture of Atum heavily has influenced the Children of Seth so too have the more archaic parts of the world's devotion to the Emperor, many positions; Death Company, Sanguinary Priests and Sanguinary guard (or Ushabti as they are known within the chapter) to name a few now bear helmets modeled in the likeness of several of the spirits the Atumians worship as aspects of the God-Emperor. Whilst strange to outsiders, those more learned in the culture of Atum realize that these decorations are an internal and more private manner for battle-brothers to easily identify each-other: an example of this is the Sanguinary Priests (and, in a break from tradition the current Chapter Master) all of whom bear a cold, black jackal-headed helmet made in resemblance to the one who judges and guides faithful souls into the Imperishable's paradise, much like how they guide those who would be Children of Seth into astartes-hood as well as prepare their body for the changes to come. Order of Battle Headquarters Companies Children of Seth Librarians Due to the morbid death-focused culture of Atum the Librarium are organised into the more macabre Mortuary Cult which, with the intense over-sight of the chaplaincy appear to engage in necromantic warp-craft that, though it manages to avoid the dark rituals of chaos veers alarmingly close. Examples of this include the ancient chapter relic; the Book of the Dead. Due to the altered form of their librarium the Children of Seth have several unique psychic abilities used by their psykers: * Wave of Blood - '''The librarian summons a great crimson flood of blood, washing away their foes with a great red river. Many have called this power Khornate sorcery (those saying so seem ignorant of the Blood God's loathing for sorcery.) however despite these claims the servants of the Lord of Skulls appear to have no immunity to the power, aside from the usual resistance that they have regarding psykers. * Specialist Ranks * '''Ushabti - '''A specialised cadre of Sanguinary Guard, the Ushabti are nearly mythical outside the ranks of the Children of Seth, bedecked in ancient power armour modelled on the crocodile-headed guardian-spirit of Atum (worshipped as the embodiment of the Emperor's protective will) like the creatures they bear the visage of the Ushabti move only when they need to; many are the visitors who have mistaken them for ceremonial statues only to be terrified when they move to the side of their chapter master. When in battle though they are a truly ferocious force, brutally destroying all who would make an attempt on their lord's life, their massive ornate weapons absolutely annihilating their foes with bursts of extreme violence and rage. ' Combat Doctrine When they go to war the Children of Seth are much like the sandstorms of Atum, horrifyingly brutal, ripping through all that stands before them for, as Gabriel Seth once stated, the sons of Sanguinius each represent an aspect of their father’s spirit; the Flesh Tearers his battle savagery, the Lamenters his tragic nobility and the Children of Seth themselves are the terrifying manifestation of his vengeful wrath. Much to the arrogant consternation of the chapter’s greatest enemy Imotekh, the Children of Seth almost completely eschew tactics of any sort, they are the blade that tears, a weapon of bloody retribution, a roaring horde of frenzied annihilators each utterly dedicated to the slaughter of their foes. Chapter Beliefs Deathwatch Service Despite their long and brutal history with their ancient foe Imotekh and the necron species as a whole service in the Deathwatch is generally treated with disinterest. Though they send their required tithe they often do so irregularly and, several times have needed to be rather forcibly reminded (by threat from the Ordo Astartes) Even though the chapter as a whole is generally uncaring about the Deathwatch the battle-brothers sent to serve in the Ordo Xenos have seen it as a glorious period of service to the Imperishable. Notable Chapter Space Marines * '''Rahma Anubian '- 'Herald of the Storm' Current chapter master and wielder of the Flensing Storm. Once a member of the chapter's Sanguinary Priests Rahma was first thrust into the position of commander of the chapter during the war that would soon be known by Imperial scholars (with a somewhat theatrical bent) as the Foul Rains of Atum, when the pestilential hordes of Nurgle, led by Rotigus Rainmaker brought their foul parody of generosity and fertility to the homeworld of the Children of Seth. As the disgusting filth and plague spread across the surface of Atum and ground the chapter down into despairing misery, a single astartes, potentially the sole surviving marine with any authority in the chapter rose to fight back against the rising tide of daemons and corrupted former battle-brothers and tainted natives turned-cultists. After nearly falling to the Black Rage and tearing his former, now fallen chapter master his half and reclaiming the ancient relic; Flensing Storm Rahma Anubian unleashed the remnants of the Children of Seth each one filled with incandescent hatred and fury, the scions of the Angel pierced into the heart of the hellish horde of daemons. Joined by the mysterious revenants of the Legion of the Damned as well as the hordes of phantoms that had once been living battle-brothers conjured by the Book of the Dead, Rahma Anubian engaged Rotigus in savagely brutal combat, the sheer endurance of the Rainfather matched against the vengeful fury of the Herald of the Storm. During the Devastation of Baal Rahma nearly fell to the Red Thirst, even beginning to mutate; fortunately Chief Librarian Ahmes was to coax his chapter master back to sanity unfortunately his eyes were permanently changed to the predatory amber slits of those completely fallen to the Thirst. * En Sabah Nur '- 'The First One' First chapter master of the Children of Seth, he was killed in a desperate assault on the Black Legion in an attempt to kill Abaddon the Despoiler, despite failing to kill the chaos warmaster Nur managed to wound him, an act that would apparently imbue his khopesh; Flensing Storm with a taste for the Sons of Horus. * '''Imhotep '- Current High-Sanguinary Priest of the Children of Seth. * '''Ahmes - 'Scorpion's Sting' current Chief Librarian and wielder of the Book of the Dead, first rose to prominence alongside his current chapter master. Chapter Relics *''Flensing Storm''- Named after the vast and terrifying sandstorms that wrack the deserts of Atum, the massive brutal Khopesh wielded by the chapter master Rahma Anubian this weapon is especially feared amongst the foul traitors of the Black Legion. Ever since the creation of the Children of Seth the blade has carved its way through the bitter scions of the Arch-Traitor, every notch on the hilt a child of Horus killed in revenge for the murder of Sanguinius. It has been said that during the battle that led to his brutal death, the first Chapter Master - En Sabah Nur - managed to wound Abaddon the Despoiler. the blade seems to drive those who wield it into a savage fury whenever in the presence of the warmaster's brethren, as though it hungers for the blood of the XVI Legion. * Book of the Dead - A great tome of pure obsidian the Book of the Dead is possibly one of the most sacred relics of the Children of Seth. Due to the chapter's rather grim reputation it is rumoured that the book was originally created in an attempt to resurrect the Primarch Sanguinius. Though the relic is incapable of such an miracle when passages of the Book of the Dead are read phantoms of the chapter's mightiest heroes are summoned to aid their still-living brethren. Chapter Fleet The fleet of the Children of Seth is very much a reflection of their vicious nature, every ship is heavily modified with a specific goal in mind; the utter and brutal destruction of the Children of Seth's enemies. Due to its hybridised nature the Children of Seth's fleet has always been seen as a curiosity to the Ordo Astartes and a source of frustration for the more orthodox members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. *''Devourer of the Dead'' (Battle Barge) - *''Breaker of False Gods'' (Strike Cruiser) *''Setehk'' (Battle Barge) - *''Jackal's Laugh'' (Hunter-class Destroyer) Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Children of Seth have a two-tone colour scheme with jet black covering the torso, arms and legs of their Power Armour, while the helm, shoulder pauldrons and backpack are crimson red. Like the Blood Angels, the Children of Seth's company designation is displayed on the right shoulder plate. For the Children of Seth rather than have blood drops their markers come in the form of a scarab (black for the Veteran 1st Company), differently-coloured for the companies. A Children of Seth's squad designation is determined by an Atum numeral placed on the right knee plate. Librarians of the Chapter wear crimson Power Armour with only the left shoulder plate painted blue. Chapter Badge The Children of Seth's Chapter icon is a black coloured, stylised rendition of the spirit of vengeance and rage worshipped by the native population (known to be Gabriel Seth by the scions of Sanguinius, much to his embarrassment and Lord Commander Dante's considerable amusement) with a bloodied maw, centred upon a field of crimson. Chapter Relations Feel free to add your own Allies * Flesh Tearers * Blood Angels Feel free to add your own Enemies * Black Legion * Ka'bandha * Imotekh the Stormlord * Rotigus Notable Quotes Feel free to add your own By Your Chapter Feel free to add your own About Your Chapter Gallery Children Seth_Veteran.png|A Children of Seth Veteran Marine. Category:Blood Angels Successors Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Founding